Children's Eye Health and Safety Month

With approximately 12 million school-age children in America experiencing vision problems, it is no wonder that August is Children's Eye Health and Safety Month. The promotion of eye health and safety is very important, and education and awareness in schools and libraries is essential not only during this month, but throughout the year. For more information on how you can get involved, visit Prevent Blindness America. You can also come into the SERC Library and check out some of the books we have on this important subject, including:

Blueberry eyes, by Monica Driscoll Beatty (YP F BEA)
This 32-page picture book, intended for children ages 4-10, is the true story of a young child's eye treatment, including eyeglasses, bifocals, eye patches, and surgery. It focuses on the heroine's positive self-image throughout her treatment, the care and guidance she received from her ophthalmologist, and the love and support of her family.



What if you couldn't? A Visual Impairment Unit (IE 371.911 GUR)

A multimedia kit designed to make students in grades 2-5 aware of the broad spectrum of visual problems ranging from minor disabilities which can be corrected by prescription lenses to total blindness. The kit allows children to investigate the ways that people with visual impairments compensate for their lack of sight and become functioning, independent individuals.

Surprising studies of visual awareness: Volumes 1 & 2 (IE 153.43 VIS)
This DVD can be used to teach about visual perception and awareness during presentations, workshops or inservice programs. It presents 15 striking demonstrations in which visual perception is explored, including some with footage from scientific experiments. Selective attention, failures of awareness and optical illusions are included.



The secret code, by Dana Meachen Rau, illustrated by Bari Weissman
(YP F RAU)
Using a word list of 69 words, this 32 page illustrated children's book introduces children to Braille. Oscar, a blind student, teaches his friend Lucy to read the secret code of Braille. She is curious about what he is doing when he opens his book and is interested to learn how Oscar can use Braille to do the same reading and writing tasks all the other classmates are doing.